A Suitable Boy
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| A Suitable Boy | |
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| Author | Vikram Seth |
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| Country | India |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | HarperCollins (USA), Phoenix House (UK) |
| Publication date | 1 March 1994 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback and Paperback) |
| Pages | 1349 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-06-017012-3 |
A Suitable Boy is a novel by Vikram Seth, released in 1994. At 1349 pages (1488 pages softcover) and 591,552 words, the book is one of the longest novels ever published in a single volume in the English language.[1][2].
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
A Suitable Boy is set in post-independence, post-partition India. The novel follows the story of four families over a period of 18 months as a mother searches for a suitable boy to marry her daughter.
The 1471-page novel alternatively satirically and earnestly examines issues of national politics in the period leading up to the first post-Independence national election of 1952, inter-sectarian animosity, the status of lower caste peoples such as the jatav, land reform and the eclipse of the feudal princes and landlords, academic affairs, inter- and intra-family relations and a range of further issues of importance to the characters.
A suitable boy centres on Mrs. Rupa Mehra’s efforts to arrange the marriage of her younger daughter, Lata, with a “suitable boy”. At the heart of the novel it is a love story, set in a young, newly independent India. The fictional town, Brahmpur, along with Calcutta, Delhi, Kanpur and other Indian cities, forms a colourful backdrop for the emerging stories.
Lata is a 19 year old college girl, vulnerable, yet determined to have her own way, and not be influenced by her strong mother and opinionated brother, Arun. Her story revolves around the choice she is forced to make between her suitors, Kabir, Haresh and Amit.
The novel is not simply based on one story. This epic novel covers the various issues faced by post-independence India, including Hindu-Muslim strife, abolition of the Zamindari system, land reforms and empowerment of Muslim women.
The novel is divided into 19 parts, with each part focussing on a different story (and eventually coming back round again). For example part 1 is about Lata's story; part 2 is about a courtesan (the beginning of a major subplot featuring Maan Kapoor); part 3 is about Lata again; part 4 is about Haresh; part 5 is about the Brahmpur political scene etc. Each part is described by a rhyming couplet on the contents page.
[edit] Characters in A Suitable Boy
The four main families mentioned in the novel are:
1) The Mehras - Mrs. Rupa Mehra, a mother searching for a suitable boy for her daughter. Arun, Savita, Varun and Lata - Mrs. Mehra's four children. Arun is married to Meenakshi Chatterji, Savita to Pran Kapoor.
Lata - Mrs. Rupa Mehra's youngest child. A large portion of the novel as well as the title describes her mother's determination to marry Lata off to "a suitable boy."
2) The Kapoors - Mr. Mahesh Kapoor, Mrs. Mahesh Kapoor and their 3 children Veena, Pran and Maan.
3) The Khans - Nawab Sahib of Baitar and his 3 children Zainab, Imtiaz and Firoz.
4) The Chatterjis - Mr. Justice Chatterji and Mrs. Chatterji and their children Amit, Meenakshi (married to Arun Mehra), Dipankar, Kakoli and Tapan
Four family trees are provided in the beginning of the novel to help readers keep up with the complicated interwoven family networks.
Some of the characters, not mentioned above, include
Nehru
Haresh Khanna
Kabir Durrani
Hashim Durrani
Dr Durrani
SS Sharma
Agarwal
Priya
Simran
Kalpana
Billy Irani
Shireen
Bishwanath Bhaduri
Kedarnath
Mrs Tandon
Abdus Salam
Saeeda Bai
Raja of Marh
Rajkumar of
Dr Bilgrami
Professor Mishra
Dr Illa Chattopadhay
Hans
Tasneem
Bibbo
Rasheed
Ishaq
Begum Abida
Bhashkar
Arpana
Guppi
Netaji
Sahgal
Makhijani
Sandeep Lahiri
Waris
Jagat Ram
Tandon
Munshi
Uma
Badrinath
Nowrojee
Sunil Patwardhan
Parvati
Kalpana Gaur
Simran
Malati
[edit] Awards and nominations
- 1994 - Best book, Commonwealth Writers Prize
- 1994 - WH Smith Literary Award
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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[edit] Further reading
- Agarwalla, Shyam S. (1995). Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy : Search for an Indian Identity. Prestige. ISBN 81-85218-97-8.
